Cinderyasha
by Frost Fae
Summary: Inuyasha lives with his stepfamily, never getting a break. But finally that break comes, in the form of two princesses. Only problem is, he just might be going after the wrong one. AU
1. Inuyasha

A/N: Okay, yet another story. And this is being written about a half-hour after I've finished the prologues of two other stories... sadly however, the login page on wasn't loading. So, sorry for the delay. Enjoy!

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Cinderyasha

Chapter 1

Inuyasha

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Hello, my name is Inuyasha. Do I sound all jolly and good to you? Hm...? Well, I should, because otherwise my step-father will threaten to throw me out of the house again. I always have to refrain from following the little voice in my head that says 'Just beat him up.' My father would've killed my step-father for me... and my mother would be very proud. But then again, if they were still alive, I wouldn't be in this situation.

Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself here. Let's start with the basics. As I said, my name is Inuyasha. I used to have a good father and a very kind and caring mother. Except... one of them was a demon and yet the other was very much human.

The funny thing is that instead of my mom dying first, my dad did. It was a stray bullet that did him in. By itself, it wouldn't have killed him. But let's just say that he was already sick to begin with.

My mother was heart-broken, and we stayed together, her and I, for a few years... Then she met _him_. The supposedly gentle, loving Ryo. And my whole world was flipped upside down. She only saw his true colors afterwards... and then it was too late.

I often suspect that foul play was involved, seeing as how the doctors said that an alien substance was found in her blood. And who gave her her last cup of tea? Guess. I dare you. Now you should understand why I hate him.

I was only eight when my dad died, and twelve when my mom died. And now I'm the full owner of seventeen years.

My life is over, and not just because of my step-father, either. I have a step-_brother_ too. And he's awful. He always has this impassive expression on his facial features... And he also has this weird smile when he's angry. It's pretty disturbing, plus he always beats up on me... There's that too. Okay, maybe I should delve down a bit deeper with this? My step-brother is a full demon, and so is my step-father... I guess my mom got a liking for youkai.

So, together with his father, Sesshoumaru has been bothering me lately. Which brings me back to where I was before. My step-father wants me to pretend that I'm happy all the time. I mean... he doesn't want to lose the 'well-earned respect' of his 'business associates,' now does he? He says that to me everyday... and frankly, I've gotten pretty tired of it.

Respect? How about ridicule! But no, not even that. Just fear.

So there I was, sitting with my head bundled up in my arms, and despairing of the whole world, when something tapped lightly on my arm. I looked up wearily, expecting a blow from a member of my 'ever-loving family.' But what came was—how shall I put it?—unexpected...

I immediately fell off of my chair and onto the floor as I caught sight of a boy around my age floating around two feet above the floor. I held my breath and studied him quietly.

He had slick, dark brown hair that was pulled back tightly into a short ponytail at the base of his neck and intelligent violet eyes. From what I could discern, the strange boy would be around my height if he stood with his feet planted firmly on the ground. Also, he seemed to have the hint of a womanizing smile on his lips. However, it was so faint that I realized that I had to be imagining it.

"Wh-who are you?"

"My name is Miroku and I am your fairy godfather." He spoke eloquently and, as he continued, he pulled me from my perch on the ground. "You called for help, so here I am."

I dusted myself off and eyed Miroku warily. "Can you please stand on the ground normally? And also, I didn't call you, so you must have made a mistake. Anyway, I don't believe in fairies. It's just not credible enough of a story. In this world demons and humans are prime, but nothing else. You must be some sort of... flying demon?"

At this Miroku laughed heartily. "Flying demon? No, of course not. You better start believing in fairies... because I am one!" He floated calmly and gently to the ground and pressed further. "Believe me, I am. And you did call me. Not necessarily orally, but you called me with your soul. Hey! Don't look at me like that. I'm not spouting gibberish, it's all true!"

"_Right_..." I was still skeptical. I mean, come on! Fairies? Although he had been floating above the ground, I was still adamant that he was nothing but a stupid demon. Just like me. "Fine... I'll believe you for now, but if I called you subconsciously or whatever... then what did I call you for?"

Miroku promptly sighed and snapped his fingers. In his hands appeared many rolls of parchment. He flipped for a bit, mumbling, "Takashi, Inuyasha... T... T... Ah! Here we go." He consulted the leaf of paper that he had pulled out and muttered for a bit.

"What? Miroku!"

"Huh? Oh... sorry. What you called me for is that you're unhappy that you have to stay with your step-family. Also... there's something in there about two princesses, a magic ball (the dancing kind of course), and... _a fairy godmother_? Oh my god... look at those things..."

"Uh... what're you looking at?"

Miroku blushed a bit. "I'm just admiring her... her... _wings_. Yes, that's it. Her wings. All females have wings..."

I was dumbfounded to say the least. Here was this weird, obviously perverted guy, who wanted to _help_? Well... I could use all the help I could get from the prejudiced and bias-filled world that I lived in. "Uh... I don't know. Isn't it your job to know this? I mean, who made you a fairy? A person with the Guinness world record of highest level of stupidity? And aren't fairies always girls? Are you a girl in disguise?"

Now that I was reassured that this guy couldn't do me any harm, my obnoxious self came to the surface, and I let it all loose. But what I wasn't expecting was that my supposed saviour pulled out a monk's staff from nowhere and rapped me on the head with it. As I rubbed my head, I growled.

"No, it is not my job to know this. No one made me a fairy. I was born a fairy. No, fairies are not always girls. And finally, _I am not a girl in disguise_!" He inhaled deeply, and then carried on, quite finished with his tirade. "You must know what I can help you with!"

"Look fairy, or monk, or whatever the hell you are, maybe I don't want your help!" He turned from Miroku pointedly and refused to respond to his pleas.

Finally, Miroku said, "Okay, okay... so I know what you need help with! Forgive me for trying to make this experience interactive for you! Hm... come here." Miroku was now standing by a window, and I reluctantly followed his order. Outside, I saw the official messenger of the king walking up to our door. He stood stoically, and knocked rhythmically on the door.

"What? What's going on?"

"Go to the door of this room and listen attentively."

I pressed my ear firmly against the door and barely followed the conversation that was taking place. At length, I backed away slowly, however, I was trembling with excitement.

I, Inuyasha, would be going to one of the king's official 'magic balls'! Or at least... I might be... depending on the mood of my step-father.

"So?"

"Am I really going?"

"Hey, don't ask me. Go ask that boorish step-father of yours."

"Fine." I stepped out of my room and into the hall, noting that there was no change at all in the expression of my brother. Although there was a certain glint of something behind the cloud in his eyes.

My step-father, however, looked happy. Maybe I had a chance?

"Uh... f- father?" I struggled with the word, biting my tongue.

"Yes?"

"Am I going to the ball also?" I heard a snicker from behind me. But when I turned, Sesshoumaru was as poised as ever.

"Yes."

"What? But... father!"

"Hush, Sesshoumaru... as I was saying, yes, you are. But... only if you can behave, and if you do all the chores that need to be done, and wait on hand and foot for your brother and I."

"Uh... sure." On the exterior, I had an expression that could rival that of Sesshoumaru's, but on the interior... well... let's just say that what was going on included fireworks.

I hurried back to my room and gave Miroku a high-five. "I don't think I need your help anymore."

"I'll wait around a bit... you never know what might happen... anguish could be just around the corner." That unnerved me a bit, but it helped that Miroku wasn't speaking as gentlemanly as before.

"Whatever floats your boat."

"Uh-huh. Let me just go back to the Do It Yourself Fairy Manual™."

So I worked as hard as I could, I even took care of the trifles that I usually would have refused to do (even at the risk of a beating). And finally, I reached my last chore... helping Sesshoumaru get ready. I shuddered.

I knocked at the door of the said dog demon, and then followed through by bowing and closing the door softly behind me.

I got out my step-brother's clothes and ironed them, including the socks. Then I buffed and shined his shoes. As I helped Sesshoumaru get into his silk doublet and matching silk trousers, I thought of the possibility of going to my first dance/party since I was twelve years old. I had been born into nobility, but was now treated as a slave, and virtually no one even knew I existed, except the occasional businessman come to beg for his life.

It was funny how things turned out.

"—Inuyasha. Inuyasha? Inuyasha! Answer me when I speak to you! He backhanded me, and I had to struggle to not punch him.

"Yes, yes."

"Inuyasha, dress my hair!"

I rose to the occasion unhappily. I got a basin and filled it with steaming hot water; then I squeezed a lemon from the kitchen cupboard into the water and swished the juice a bit. I spat in it for good measure. Next, I got out the fine-tooth comb, and made my way back to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru leant his head back, albeit imperiously, and relaxed as I soaked his hair. He sniffed suspiciously. "What's that smell? You added something, didn't you? Didn't you?" Sesshoumaru chuckled throatily. That was a bad sign.

"Sorry. I just added a bit of extra ingredients..."

"Well, I don't like them! Get some spices to cover up the smell!" So again I set off with the now lukewarm basin and spiced it up a few notches with thyme and basil.

Again, I soaked Sesshoumaru's hair, which was a pretty hardcore feat, considering the length of it all. Instead of drying it, I combed it while it was wet, and gave Sesshoumaru the instructions not to move and to let the hair dry naturally. Needless to say I felt pretty girly. There was now a half-hour before the ball, a half- hour that would be devoted to me.

Unfortunately, as soon as I set foot in my minuscule room, I remembered the one crucial factor of the whole night. I only had two sets of clothing: the rough slave outfit I wore in general, and the dressy outfit that I wore when a businessman came to call. The dressy one was hanging wetly from a rope in the middle of the yard out back.

Immediately, I took some clothes that were almost dry from the rope and wrung them; I pressed them and ironed them, and then threw them on. Miroku looked at me steadily as I combed my hair and buffed my (luckily) dry and dressy shoes. "What?"

"Oh nothing..."

I sighed and ignored him. I ran down the stairs two at a time and presented myself to my 'family'.

Immediately, Sesshoumaru let out an inhuman call (well, he is a demon), and clawed my clothes to bits.

"I won't have a - a half-wit, half-demon wearing my clothes!" Then, just for spite, he tore off the tops of my shoes. I just stood there numbly. I refused to let my anger show. And yet... how was I supposed to go to the ball now?

And just as I expected: "Inuyasha, you can't go to the ball like this. Go to your room and sit there, and contemplate what it means to steal your sibling's clothes, and the consequences. In fact... I want to see a page on this subject. In long-hand.

I was a blur as I circled around them once and flew up the stairs.

Perhaps I _would_ be needing Miroku...

He stood waiting for me, waiting for me to speak. All that came was a flurry of swear words and insults thrown in the direction of my 'family'.

"Are you quite done yet?"

"Yeah, yeah... but, Miroku... two questions."

"Uh-huh?"

"You're my fairy godfather, and yet you look to be my age! What's going on with that? And also, how can I make it to the ball?"

"Okay, look... I'm immortal! You of all people should be able to understand that. And two, _Narcis Excel_."

Before I could even utter the word 'huh,' I was seized off of my feet, and thrown about wildly. When I finally landed on the ground, and gratefully at that, I looked in the mirror.

There were a few choice words to describe my appearance: suave, handsome, charming, and just plain hot, too! Wow... whatever Miroku had done was good, and my respect, or at least my liking for him was raised quite a bit that night.

"How? What?"

"Hm... I believe what you're asking is: how did I do that?" I nodded my head dumbly. "Well, it's magic. And the incantation is quite simple to understand, really. _Narcis_: Narcissistic. Vain. You know... good-looking. Stuff like that. And then _Excel_. It basically made you excel in good looks. Plus, it brushed you up a bit... your face was pretty dirty. What did you... sit with your head in a fire? They should call you Cinderyasha!"

"Yes, actually, my step-brother once held my head very close to a fire once. And him and my step-father do call me that. Thanks for rubbing it in."

"Ooh... Oooooooohhh... Oooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhh... Oh."

"Yeah."

"Well, anyway..." I shook my head in disdain; he was obviously changing the subject. "What about that transportation?"

"I can get there just fine, thanks."

"No! I have to help you get there! It's in my manual! I don't want to get fired from this job."

"Fired? Job?"

"Well... you see... I auditioned to be a fairy godfather. And I've screwed up two other people's lives. So you see... after this... I can't get reassigned to another person. You're the last chance I've got, and if I fail this one... well... I'll have to become a fairy miner... ugh... those people have to mine magic coals which deteriorate your fairy magic until you get sent to be a human.

"And what is the use of these coals you may be wondering? Well... they start up fairy fires which heal sick and even dead fairies."

"Fairies can die and get sick?"

"Well... yes... they can get sick from heavy exposure to a human that doesn't believe in us... and they can die from broken hearts. But loss of magic cannot be healed. That's why - that's why I have to succeed!" He shook his head as if to clear it of something. "But we've wasted too much time already. Follow me."

I obeyed and followed him into the yard, six mouse demons scurried along the dirt, and one squirrel demon scampered up a tree. A pomegranate fell from the tree in the middle of it all.

Miroku grabbed the demons, which of course were too tiny to do any real harm, and was about to pick up the pomegranate when I stopped him.

"Please don't."

"But why, Inuyasha? I see no reason not to."

"Look in your little manual thingy and check the name Koriyama, Ryo. Okay? You'll see."

"Koriyama... K... K... Here it is. Okay, let me read it out loud:

**Koriyama, Ryo. Known as a heavy crime lord in our parts; stay away from him if you don't want to get sick. He does not believe in us at all. One of his trademarks is his pomegranate tree. Any person who he wants to kill is asked to eat a pomegranate from the tree. Of course, the actual pomegranates have nothing wrong with them... but once they finish eating it, he strikes them dead. Check under Hades for more details on the malevolent symbolism of pomegranates. He has a—  
**  
"Okay... let me stop that now... but we're not eating it. And he can't even see us."

"It'll bring bad luck."

"Fine. If you don't want to go to the ball, you can just stay and sulk all you want."

"No, no! Do what you want with it... but don't say I didn't warn you."

Miroku smirked. "Not a chance." He drew out an hourglass from one of his long monk sleeves, and studied it. Then he said. "It's been half an hour since it started. Let's hurry up and get you there."

He waved a hand and the pomegranate grew to the size of a coach, which was exactly what it was used for. It was still nice and red (my favourite colour), but more rounded. The mice turned into large white horses and the squirrel morphed into a coachman.

Miroku opened the door for me and before I knew it, I was inside.

"Okay, Inuyasha... remember... you have to be back by twelve o-clock, because that's when all of my magic will be reversed."

"Yeah, yeah..." I was too excited to listen, although later I would wish that I hadn't been.

He closed the door and I was off...

I had no idea, however, that this would be one of the most eventful nights of my life. Oh, would I be in for a surprise.

A/N: Okay... done, the first chapter. The next one will be: _Kagome_. Read and review!


	2. Kagome

A/N: So... second chapter already? After an hour since finishing the other one? Well, excuse me! My internet's down. I've read all of my books at least five times, my televisions are occupied, I can't go any where because it's pretty late at night... I exercised for about two hours already... and I'm not tired! So... yeah... this was my only alternative. The first chapter was Inuyasha's point of view and the second is Kagome's. The rest won't be in the POV format. ENJOY!

Disclaimer: So... how's it going?

Cinderyasha

Chapter 2

Kagome

Hey, the name's Kagome. Kagome Higurashi. Yes, the Princess Kagome... the famous one. And you must be wondering... 'Why isn't she talking like a lady?' Well, the answer for you, is that I don't want to. Or, to be more specific, I don't want to talk or act like that, because that's what the whole world wants me to do! Confused? Welcome to my world; welcome to my life.

Am I hard to understand? Well, let me backtrack a little...

My parents are the famous King Higurashi and Queen Higurashi. Head of the Higurashi empire. I have a sister named Kikyo, Kikyo Higurashi, and also a little brother. Souta Higurashi... actually a pretty okay kid.

I'm sixteen years old; soon to be seventeen, thank you very much! And Souta's twelve years old. Kikyo? She's seventeen, and she's a big pain. In fact, she's the root of all my problems... and I'm not exaggerating. Want me to give some examples? Fine.

Because of her, everyone has such high standards of how I'm supposed to act; Souta thinks that I'm not good enough to look up to (insert: breaking heart); I act so bad... et cetera... the list is endless.

We look so similar... and yet... so different. I have warm brown eyes and dark brown hair down to the small of my back. She has cold, grey eyes, and her hair, though the same colour, is much longer. Also... she's gorgeous. Now, don't get me wrong... I'm not ugly. I know that I'm beautiful, and that's not conceit. But she's... just... out of this world.

Okay, you must be getting tired of this endless blather... when will I get to the point? Right now.

I'm a miko, and so is she... although she's a higher-class priestess. She's in line for the throne... I'll always be a princess. She's pure, albeit very bratty and snobby, I'm not.

Now, the real troubles began when my father planned a ball. And what was the purpose of this ball? It was to marry me off. I'm not the kind of princess who wants to be married off! But Kikyo gets to wait a while... even though she's older than me!

So, now that we're done, I'll start you off a little further in the story than you might like...

There I was, dozing fitfully, dreaming unhappy things. In my dream, an old man with wispy black hair and dozens of bald spots proposed to me... I tried to turn away, but my dream-self replied in the positive. I woke up screaming until someone clamped their hands over my mouth. I bit down hard, even drawing blood and immediately stepped back.

I wasn't as good at archery as Kikyo was, and even if I had been willing to test my skills, my bow and quiver of arrows were outside. I was on my own.

I suddenly stopped as I noted the fact that the stranger was a girl around my age and was floating above the floor.

"Who are you? And what do you want? Please leave me be!"

"My name is Sango. I want to help you. And I can't leave because you called me yourself!"

"I did no such thing!"

"Oh yes, you did! But with your soul." I stared at her. Great... I had a crazy floating woman after me. "Look, I'm not crazy, but I am your fairy godmother!"

"But you're around my age!"

"I'm immortal. But let's consult this manual of mine..."

"Manual?" I watched silently and without moving while Sango flipped through a sheaf of parchment and thumbed pages listlessly. Finally, she stopped. "Okay. Higurashi, Kagome. It looks to me like you have problems with people over-shadowing you. Right? But there is something in there about... a sweetheart at the ball! High-five!"

I stared at her strangely. "Huh?"

"Oh... right... humans don't know what's in store for them in future. Congratulations, though!"

"Thanks... So... Sango... could you do me a favour?"

"Sure, anything."

"Stand normally."

Sango sighed but complied unhappily. "There you go, your highness."

"Okay, I'm sorry if you don't like walking and standing around normally, but it would make me feel better if you did. And also... I'm a princess... so the sarcasm was duly noted, but not in effect." Oh wait... I was talking nobly again. "But s'ok, who cares?"

"Uh... anyway... it continues." She thumbed through again and came to a stop. "All I need to do is dress you in clothes that will attract your special guy, and help you after the ball, too... wait a second..."

"What?"

"The guy who's assigned to your future man is... MIROKU? NO!" She banged her head against a wall again and again.

"What?"

"You'll see..." She said darkly.

"Uh... yeah... so what about that helping that you were talking about?"

"Oh, yes. His favourite colour is red... so... _Narcis Excel_."

I rose in the air in a flurry of colours and once there, I got twisted about, and jumbled, and I had an all-around sense of a bath. Except... a bath without water. I landed on the ground again, and looked into the mirror as Sango explained how she had done the spell. My hair was twisted into a low bun at the nape of my neck and was drawn tightly and slicked smoothly in a pretty fashion that I liked. I was wearing a sleeveless red dress with matching elbow-high gloves and an opaque shawl that flowed into different shades of red. My shoes were actually high-heeled boots that matched and went up to my knees. They seemed to meld with my legs and bent wherever I bent. My dress ended halfway past my knees. All in all... I looked... amazing!

Sango snapped her fingers and put makeup on me... it was quite aggravating, but in the end it produced a nice effect. Obviously, judging by her own face, she was very talented, but she did an even better job on mine. Where her eyes were brightened with the most exotic kohl from far away lands, mine were topped doubly, my lips were covered with some sort of thick paste, and my cheeks were smeared with something.

"What is this stuff? I mean, it looks good but..."

"Never you mind... anyway! You're ready!" I flounced about for a few seconds, then seemed to register what she had said.

"Right, let's go!" She showed no signs of coming though. "Why aren't you following me?"

"No one else can know about me, Kagome..."

"Oh... well... goodbye." The truth was, I felt strangely vulnerable without her, but being the strong-willed person I was I...

Begged for her to follow.

"Please San! Can I call you San? SAN!"

"No, Kag. It's not going to happen... but... I do have to tell you one thing... all of my magic will fade away after the bell chimes twelve. Okay?"

I had no use for Sango's information as I ran out the door and virtually glided down the marble steps that made up my staircase. The bell chimed eight times, the ball would commence in half an hour.

'Oh, joy!' I thought dryly, 'What fun! Time to meet a billion suitors!'

"They're probably all rich old men..." She muttered this one under her breath, just loud for a person who she just bumped into to hear.

"So... looking better than usual, I see."

"Kikyo..."

Kikyo frowned. "That's not how you talk to older sisters."

I glowered at her as I thought cheerily, 'Her face is still prettier than mine, but I'm better dressed! Inuyasha probably hates that rancid, vile shade of yellow that she has on her! Although it does look nice...'

Kikyo had on gloves and boots matching her frilly main attire. Her gloves went up to her wrists, and her boot went up to just above her ankles. Under the boots, she wore tights that were an earthy shade of greenish-brown. Just like Kikyo. Her actual dress went down to the area above her boots, and it had laced frills lining each edge. The neckline was modest, like mine, but Kikyo wore a hat that matched her whole outfit.

I passed her by haughtily, giving her the cold shoulder. Did I say that Kikyo was a pain already? I met Souta who was dressed in a miniature tuxedo that looked adorable, and my parents looked stunning in matching kimonos. (If the children weren't going to wear traditional clothes, then they had to.)

Each member of the family wore either an elaborate crown or tiara.

Ten minutes before everyone arrived, we all sat down in our thrones and talked a bit. I pointedly ignored Kikyo, and faced Souta. She was not ruffled in the least however, and talked about politics with our parents. Even they seemed to be bored with manners of state however, and reprimanded her about her talkativity.

Today was going excellently well, and if it continued this way, I would be with the mystery boy who I was supposed to recognize in a heartbeat.

The torrent of people started coming in at fifty-nine past eight. And I was forced to get up and greet everyone. But none of the boys pleased me. Two boys came very close however.

Hojo, and Kouga. One problem with each was obvious.

Hojo was boring, and Kouga was abrasive. As soon as he saw me, he said arrogantly, "No one else touch her! She's my woman!"

As soon as I was able to, I dodged them and continued to look listlessly for my dream-boy. At quarter past ten, everyone turned as one, with a fluid grace that rarely happened. The doors were flung open by two court guards, and a handsome young man stepped through the doors. He reminded me of someone. The great Takashi. But no... this boy... there was something magical and different about him. I had to talk to him.

He had long, glistening white hair and golden eyes. Two small fangs hung cutely over his bottom lip. Immediately a whole crowd of women stormed and swarmed around him. But something made them stay away... the high-princess... she was making her way towards him. Shunning everyone else. Even the prince of the wolf demons and the other prince of... well, no one knew because he was too boring to listen to.

But no, it wasn't me. It was Kikyo. And by the looks of it... he had fallen for her, and fallen heavily at that. They held hands, and as she greeted him, she kissed him on the cheek. I gagged.

I fled the room, aware of everyone's stares. As usual, Kikyo had ruined my day. And this time... it couldn't be fixed with a bit of talking and telling her bad things about him... but wait! I could tell him bad things about her. The only problem was that... I didn't know his name. His residence. Anything like that. I'd been gypped.

Back in the ballroom, everyone was muttering amongst themselves... little tidbits could be heard... gossip, rumours. All about the crazy love triangle between the two princesses known for their rivalry and the strange boy who had captured their hearts, and been captured him self as well, in a few minutes.

Kikyo smiled to herself as this silent outburst was made public, and Inuyasha just frowned a bit. He felt a connection to both girls. But when the other one had left, he had felt a bit of himself go with her.

Which one he could choose wasn't the problem right now, how to be in the other girl's heart again was.

Which meant... that he had to flirt, and be as charming as he could. In fact... he had a master plan.

He would consult a bit with Miroku, but in the end... it was obvious what could be done about his little predicament.

The king and queen whispered to each other unhappily.

"What can be done about this honey?"

The queen worried her lip, forgetting in her agitation that what she was doing was uncouth and unladylike. "I'm afraid we'll just have to let it play out... the only thing to say now is that chaos is coming our way and we'll just have to wait it out."

The king nodded, he thought, 'Kikyo is best. Kikyo is best. Kikyo is best.'

A/N: So, there's another chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Read and review!


	3. The After Effects

A/N: Um... third chapter is up... and... hm... JUST READ THE DAMN STORY ALREADY! Hm... you know what I've noticed readers? I use the little '...' thing all the time... like right now! Yay! Anyway... : means Flashback. Okay? Read and review.

Disclaimer: I own Inuyasha! I own Inuyasha! I own Inuyasha! (Just kidding!)

PB

Cinderyasha

Chapter 3

The After Effects

PB

Inuyasha still stood as he had a half-hour ago, although he certainly wasn't complaining. The rumours had been true... Kikyo WAS as sweet as she was beautiful, and he loved every minute that he spent with her.

Even though it seemed as if nothing was in his mind except enjoying the moment, there was something plaguing him senselessly. The other girl... Kagome: how she had just fled in the midst of it all without caring what anyone thought... how she had come in eye contact with him and it seemed as if they had known each other... in fact, he felt that he HAD to go find her, at all costs.

"—don't you think so?"

"Uh... sure. Yes, I do."

"Excellent! I'll talk to mother and father about it straight away! And while I'm doing so, why don't you go freshen up? As if you need to, anyway."

"Great! Okay!" Although he had no idea what he had just agreed on, he was happy that an opening for his devious plan had come about, and he wasn't about to ruin things.

He turned immediately and swept up the stairs happily.

PB

"Hm... good thing you ran away like you did, though."

"Why?"

"Because if you hadn't, your clothes would've vanished and everyone would've seen them turning into normal evening wear."

"So...?"

"They can't know about me. They would either exploit me... or make me sick by not believing in me."

"Um... do you care to explain about that?"

"It's just as I said, Kag... when people don't believe in us, and they come across us, then we get sick. And we can get cured by being exposed to these rock things... well... it's kind of complicated. The good thing about me, though, is that I can't die."

"Well, I knew that already. No fairies can."

Sango shook her head exasperatedly. "Yes, actually, we CAN die. But only out of broken hearts. And I will NEVER fall in love... so... no death for me."

"Is there a cure for death also?"

"Yeah... same thing. But the exposure makes fairies lose their powers... and become... human... with sickness though, the rocks don't make you lose your powers."

"I'm confused..."

"I thought you would be. Humans always are." Kagome bristled and Sango just snorted. "Well, it's true. But anyway, as I was saying—when a fairy's sick, the rocks don't make them lose their magic because people not believing in us is so hurtful that our bodies automatically draw a force-field of nonchalance around us. Only this can block the radiation of the rocks. And loss of magic cannot be healed... obviously."

"Uh... right. So, why did you start explaining this to me again?"

"Because... okay, don't get me started again. Fairies are naturally talkative, and we love to explain things."

"Uh-huh..." Suddenly, Sango snapped her fingers and disappeared. Simultaneously, a knock sounded against the hardwood of Kagome's door.

She tightly drew her dress around herself, and smoothed out the creases. The knock came again.

"Coming, coming..." She opened the door and found herself staring into the golden eyes of a bewildered hanyou.

"Hello...?"

Then she got her wits about her. "Where's Kikyo?"

'Oh, real smooth Inuyasha... Sibling rivalry... why didn't I remember?'

"Well, excuse me! I just came up here to see if you were okay, but obviously a wench like you always does that at parties to get attention."

As soon as Kagome clenched her fists tightly, Inuyasha realized that he had picked the wrong girl to mess with.

"GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" As she moved to slam the door in his face, a force kept it open. When Kagome looked at the confused expression on her 'wonder' boy's face, she immediately understood.

"Kagome, don't be too hasty. And you, you shouldn't be so rude. Don't look so surprised! I was just invisible. You have a fairy godfather, and I'm Princess Kagome's godmother. Maybe you should learn to respect royalty a bit, little boy."

"What—?" The clock chimed twelve times and Inuyasha suddenly grimaced. He ran out of the door, and rushed down the stairs so fast that all the naked eye could see was a white and red blur. Kagome saw a bit of a haori before she blinked and he was gone.

"What was up with him?"

"Look at yourself Kagome." Sango held up a mirror. Kagome was in her normal clothes.

"Oh... okay. Poor little Kikyo won't be getting her man tonight... because even your little manual thing doesn't have his NAME! HA!"

"That's the bad thing... it's personalized... I only have YOUR main information... and your family's also. It just says HIS fairy godfather and his preferences. That sucks."

"Sucks what?"

"Never mind..." Sango could be heard murmuring something that sounded like: 'uptight princesses don't know what they're missing...'

"Hey!" Kagome looked at herself in the mirror once more...

'Uptight princesses? Sometimes I wish I could be normal for once.'

PB

Kikyo spun around as she felt something brush past her. All she could see, however, was a blur and it was hard to discern anything, let alone the person it actually was. She shook her head dismissively, and pretended that nothing had happened, as everyone else obviously was. Although, when she opened her mouth to call for the boy that had caught her fancy, she remembered that she hadn't even caught his name.

She jumped up from where she was discussing the possibilities of marriage with her family, and ran up the stairs.

"Kagome!"

The said girl stuck her head out of her door and shouted back, "What?"

"Where's Inuyasha?"

"Uh... just left..." Kikyo was very keen and she noticed that something suspicious was going on.

"What's going on in there?" She moved to open the door, but her 'plotting' sister shut it... on her fingers.

She gave a long piercing yell and spiraled down the stairs wildly.

"My hand! My hand! Where's Inuyasha? My hand!"

She flung open the great palace doors and bent down to see something. As she picked it up from the ground, she stood majestically once more, and smiled gloriously. THIS was how she could find the boy that she had grown fond of in only minutes. THIS was how she was going to complete the last stages of her beautiful plan... THIS was going to contribute to her ultimate goal.

"What's that you're holding, Kikyo?"

"Huh? Oh, father... it's just a shoe."

"A shoe?" This time it was the queen who had spoken.

"Yes, mother, a shoe. That boy's shoe to be exact. I'm going to get every boy in the country to try out this shoe. And then I'll get them to dance with me." At the blank stares on her parents' faces, Kikyo knew that she would have to elaborate. "YOU saw me dance with him. It was like poetry. I'd know if it were him by the way he danced, and how the shoe fit. See? Now do you understand?"

"Yes, as it were. When do you wish to commence this... plan of yours?"

"Soon, mother. Very soon. Tomorrow even."

"And so it shall be." With a nod of his head, the king walked away to find his Royal Messenger. "Mother... I know Kagome will be awfully disappointed, and it was originally her that was to be wed... but... PLEASE, won't you consider?"

"Well, I could, if and only if you promise me right at this moment that you will NOT throw this boy away after you're done with him."

"Yes, yes. I promise. May I go now? Thank you." And without even awaiting the queen's leave, she turned and walked forcefully up the stairs. Her patience was dwindling, even as her excitement peaked to new heights, and she had nothing on her mind except coming up with a new ploy to get what she wanted.

PB

Inuyasha turned the corner quickly, just quick enough to catch the last glimpses of the beautiful coach that had once been presented to him.

As much as he wanted to be happy, he felt his spirits dampen as soon as he saw the disheartening 'mice' and 'squirrels' as they circled the pomegranate ominously.

'I knew that pomegranate would bring trouble. Now to get home faster than my "family" and finish that... ugh... report. Crime really doesn't pay.'

As Inuyasha remembered the events of the early evening, he felt almost inclined to smile. Almost.

He jogged a bit for the first few miles, but when he heard the giant ringing of a clock chime thirteen times he felt the need to sprint.

As he caught sight of his luxurious home, he remembered how rich he really was.

'I'm the son of a lord that died... so... am I a lord?'

He jumped into his bedroom through the window and brushed himself off. Back in his usual servant garb, Inuyasha felt strangely uncomfortable and more peasant-like then usual.

"Hey! Anyone here?"

"Yes, yes..."

"Miroku... I need a small favour... then we need to discuss a little... plan... of mine."

"Shoot."

"Uh... right. Anyway, can you write up that little essay I was supposed to do?"

Miroku glared at him for a while and then took out some parchment. Then he spoke clearly, "I am sorry. I was bad. I stole some clothing from my brother. The consequences are thus: whatever you see fit."

Inuyasha rubbed his eyes as if what he was witnessing was fictitious, then, for good measure, he cleaned out one of his ears with a claw.

"What in hell are you doing now?"

"Hmph... that's gratitude for you." At a shake from Inuyasha's head, he explained the rules of sarcasm for him angrily. When Inuyasha had finally learned something, Miroku continued on with his work.

Tapping a finger lightly on the parchment, he was pleased to see that it became a long essay at once. "Let me see that!" Inuyasha grabbed for it, and read it aloud:

The Consequences of My Actions

Before, I had thought that taking the clothes of a loved one ("I think I'm going to gag.") was okay and not necessarily a crime. But due to the taking away of my own pleasure, I learned my lesson. I have sat here contemplating the effects of my misbehaviour and yearn to make it up to Sesshoumaru one day.

As a result of this situation's end, I now realize that I have rights, and I have privileges... and going to a party is NOT a right. If information could be disclosed about the nature of the royalty at the ball and the evening's events, I would be much obliged to behave better the next time. And even if this information is withheld, I will still promise to be a better role model to less fortunate young men like me. In fact, I promise right now that I will—

"Oh god... enough of that please..."

"Well, aren't you satisfied with my summarizing technique?"

"I guess... but anyway... on to more pressing matters. My plan."

"Does it have something to do with two girls at a ball?"

"How did you know? Oh, wait... the manual, right...?"

"Yep... exactly. So, carry on."

"Why don't I enforce upon them a hidden test?"

"Enforce? Hidden?"

"You know, subtly perform tests on each one and compare the results."

"Okay, like what for example?"

"Um... I don't know... how about one day I'm really nice, and another I'm really mean. Or, one day I act like I'm avoiding them, and another I keep on hitting on them?"

"COUNT ME IN!" Inuyasha hit him on the head. "Well... of COURSE I meant that I would help YOU go through with the plan... although I COULD have a little fun with Sango."

"Whoever Sango is, I'm sure she'll appreciate your special attention."

"I WOULD say I beg to differ, but that would indirectly insult myself."

"You've already DIRECTLY insulted yourself many times... what does it matter if you insult yourself once more? Especially if it's indirect?"

"I don't like you very much right now. That's why I'm glad that you'll have to sit through a lecture from your stepfamily about what happened at the ball. See you."

"Wait!"

"And what have we here... lo and behold, Inuyasha has finally gone insane. Do you need a little help with your schizophrenia?"

"Shut—can you please be quiet?"

"Hm... I see that that little brush with the 'law' has made you a better person, brother."

"Sesshoumaru, please get out of my room and leave me alone."

"No. Well, I will be getting out, but so will you. Come." And without even waiting for a reply, Sesshoumaru dug his nails deep into Inuyasha's arm, ignoring his grunt of pain, and dragged him almost haphazardly into the hall. He then noticed the sheet of paper clutched in his stepbrother's hand and tore it away from him. As he overlooked it, his face remained cool and calmly collected.

'On retrospect, I'm so glad that I didn't force Miroku to go away... he's actually SATISFIED! I can tell.'

"I'll show this to dad, and maybe, just maybe, we'll reward you with the long tale of what happened at the ball. Maybe I'll even tell you about an exotic princess that I met there."

'On second thought...'

"So, Inuyasha. I see that you have learned your lesson. While you are serving us tea, we will tell you the interesting details."

'An embarrassing analogy can be made about this... me, a female hairdresser and these two imbeciles gossipy, rumour-spreading old ladies.'

"Thank you very much..." So Inuyasha got to work on the tea while Ryo started their little 'anecdote,' although he spoke of it as a parable:

As he closed the door behind him, Sesshoumaru couldn't help but feel a glimmer of happiness. He would meet HER once again. Her, that had softened him, even for a few minutes, she had made a difference. And that day, that fateful day... when they had met on the side of the main road, when they had bumped into her... she had captivated him.

A fellow demon, yet more human somehow, more... emotional. She had told him that she would be at the ball; otherwise Sesshoumaru never would have agreed to go. Otherwise, he wouldn't have cared if Inuyasha went or not. Because Inuyasha certainly wasn't going to cause trouble for him!

"Sesshoumaru, come on. We need to talk. But first, get into the coach."

He stepped up into it and sat down opposite his father. Cruel, but proud, he and Sesshoumaru were almost the splitting image of each other.

"Father?"

"Oh yes... what I wanted to talk to you about. You see, there is going to be a princess, other than the two ones hosting the event of course. Her name is Kagura. And you are betrothed to her." Sesshoumaru gasped unwillingly, then checked himself readily. "She is a wind demon and is very attractive. She is also intelligent, and learned in all the arts of school. But best of all... she is going to be queen, and she has no brother. Just one sister, Kanna, who I plan to give to Inuyasha. She's very cold, but will be able to keep Inuyasha in check."

Sesshoumaru just kept silent, thoughts racing in his head.

'But what about the nameless woman that I met? I've never felt this way about a woman before...'

"So, what do you think?"

"Well... I—I think it's fine."

"Great. Here's the castle." Sesshoumaru could hear the sounds that usually followed a party, and instead of the earlier tremor of excitement he felt a dread that he had never experienced.

As he clambered out of the coach unstably, he felt rather than saw the strange looks that his father was giving him.

'Better start being my normal poised self, or I might embarrass my father and the family's name.'

He stood straight and tall, while Ryo nudged him in the back to get moving.

As the doorman let them in, calling their names out from a long list, Sesshoumaru took the scene in front of him in. Le roi et la reine still sat in their thrones, while the two seats on the queen's side were unoccupied as was the seat beside the king. He looked around and saw the royal children mingling with the crowd. As his father talked to the eldest daughter, he avoided her gaze.

'I refuse to talk to children. A person of the age of twenty-four should not have to associate with young people. Even ROYAL young people.' So he continued to pointedly look away, until he saw HER.

He let in a small intake of breath, even as his father pushed him forward to talk to her.

"Father...?"

"That is Kagura. I see that you are already quite taken with her. Is it her beauty, perhaps? Or maybe something else?"

"Something else, although she is very beautiful. We've met."

"Oh, really? And you wish to marry her?"

"Uh..." But just then, she spoke up.

"Why, hello there, Sesshoumaru! And you must be his father. You're certainly as dashing at any rate."

"Thank you, thank you. Why don't you two talk? Maybe about... some possibilities having to do with your relationship? Hm...?" Sesshoumaru blushed, but Kagura just smiled a little.

(Outside of Flashback: "Sesshoumaru! Enough of this... all he needs to know is that you two agreed to marry. Now for the rest of the story.")

Ryo turned as the two lovebirds started to talk. Roaming through the crowd and stopping occasionally to chat with strangers, he passed three quarters of an hour of time. It was now quarter past ten and he was strangely bored, then, the door burst open.

A bright vision entered through the doorway. (OOF: "Uh..." "Shut up, Inuyasha.")

He seemed to be obsessed with the eldest child, and refused to look at anything else, as did she. They never even exchanged names! Although it was unlikely that he didn't know Kikyo's name.

Kagome, the middle child, ran up a flight of stairs.

A lot of time passed, and finally the two parted, Kikyo to her parents and Inuyasha up the stairs. Kikyo spoke very softly, so softly, that her parents were resigned to using sign language, and no demons could overhear the conversation. Kikyo seemed to be ecstatic.

(OOF: "Done yet?" "Inuyasha!")

A blur ran down the stairs and out the door, and all that was left was a single shoe.

"So, what happened next?"

"Not so eager to end the story now, are you?"

"No, sir." Inuyasha cringed.

"Anyway, now Kikyo is going to put the shoe on every young man between the ages of sixteen and twenty-four, and also... DANCE with them. Something about knowing his style... the king signed an official decree, and the princess, accompanied by the Royal Messenger, will set out tomorrow. Or rather... later, much later, today."

"Go to bed now, Inuyasha. The wedding will be in a few months."

But Inuyasha didn't care. All he could think about were the problems that would undoubtedly arise, although unbidden, the next day.

A/N: So, the third chapter of Cinderyasha. This update was actually pretty fast, seeing as my internet's been all screwy and the other two were very close together. Also, this chapter is pretty lengthy, for me anyway. Ten pages. I usually stick with eight to nine pages... so... be grateful. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that, and remember the most important thing of all... to READ AND REVIEW! Buh-bye!


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